The emir visits Iran to seek support on Syria

The Qatari emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, visited Iran on August 25th, sparking speculation that Qatar is trying to expand its role in defusing the five-month-old crisis in Syria, having already played a significant role in supporting rebels in Libya. The emir met the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and sought his support in persuading the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to stop his heavy-handed crackdown on unarmed protesters across the country, and to introduce substantive democratic reforms to restore peace. Iran is one of Syria's closest regional allies, and the EU has accused the secretive al-Quds wing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards of providing technical and material support for Syria's crackdown. The emir told reporters after his meeting with Mr Ahmadinejad that the Syrian people took to the streets in ''a real popular and civil uprising calling for change, justice and freedom''. Sheikh Hamad also echoed calls made by the US and some European nations for Mr Assad to step down, adding that he hoped that ''the decision-makers in Syria would understand the need for change in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people''. In July Qatar became the first country in the six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) to recall its envoy from Syria (August 2011, The political scene), and on August 8th three other GCC countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain—followed suit with the withdrawal of their ambassadors. The 22-member Arab League has expressed ''grave concern'' over the escalating violence in Syria, and called on Mr Assad to start ''serious dialogue'' to initiate reforms. Countries in the region are increasingly worried that the Syrian crisis could spill beyond its borders, if not resolved peacefully. Around 2,200 people have been killed since the protests began in mid-March. The Syrian authorities say they are fighting armed Islamist extremists, sent in by foreign powers. Sheikh Hamad's visit to Iran represents one of the most serious steps taken by any regional country to resolve the crisis in Syria, and comes on the back of increasingly successful intervention in Libya.